On 2/5, the Hezbollah armed group released a video showing a first-person view (FPV) drone striking the cage armor on top of the turret of an Israeli Merkava Mark 4M main battle tank. The warhead appeared to penetrate the turret roof armor, hitting the ammunition compartment, triggering an internal explosion and a large fire. Specific casualties and damage remain unclear.

Images released last week showed Hezbollah deploying FPV drones to target multiple Israeli Merkava Mark 4M main battle tanks and Eitan armored personnel carriers, as well as several enemy soldiers. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that at least one service member was killed and 6 were injured in an attack in southern Lebanon on 26/4.

The series of images emerged as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) faced criticism for not adequately preparing to protect personnel and equipment from Hezbollah's FPV drone attacks. These incidents also led experts to question the capabilities of the Trophy active protection system installed on the Merkava Mark 4M series.

The Merkava Mark 4M, Israel's most advanced tank model, has been in service since 2011. Its distinguishing feature compared to the earlier Merkava Mark 4 is the Trophy system, often called a "steel shield" designed to protect the vehicle from anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) and armor-piercing rounds.

This system comprises electro-optical sensors, surveillance radar, a computer, and an interceptor unit. Trophy's radar can scan a 360-degree horizontal area to detect incoming missiles and anti-tank projectiles.

Upon detecting a target, the computer analyzes it and commands the launch of explosively formed penetrators (EFP) to neutralize the threat before it reaches the tank's main armor. The Trophy system can also trace the threat's flight path, automatically directing the tank's main gun towards the enemy's firing position.

Data from 2013 indicated that the cost of each Trophy system was equivalent to 30% of the upgrade package value for a Merkava Mark 4M tank. Rafael, the defense corporation manufacturing Trophy, stated in 2024 that the system could intercept 90% of threats, including unmanned attack systems, from various directions.

The sensor-radar cluster (octagonal shape) and interceptor launcher of the Trophy system on a Merkava Mark 4M tank turret. Photo: Rafael

However, the specialized military publication Defense Express stated that the Trophy system has been "completely ineffective" when confronting FPV drones in real combat conditions.

"Rafael has included images of FPV drones in Trophy promotional videos, but has never publicly claimed the system can intercept them. Additionally, in previous tests, the Trophy system only intercepted fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), not small FPV drones", the publication noted.

Trophy cannot scan 360 degrees around the tank and has a blind spot directly overhead, making it difficult to intercept warheads attacking from above. The flight speed of FPV drones is significantly slower than ATGMs and fixed-wing UAVs, which could cause Trophy's radar to misidentify or miss targets.

During the attack on Israeli territory on 7/10/2023, Hamas forces destroyed at least one Trophy-equipped Merkava Mark 4M tank by flying a drone over the vehicle and dropping a PG-7VR armor-piercing warhead onto the top front, where the armor is relatively thin.

Nevertheless, Defense Express continues to question Trophy's effectiveness, as some videos show Hezbollah drones approaching at angles favorable for the system, even nearly striking the interceptor launcher directly. "Essentially, these attacks occurred under ideal interception conditions, yet no system fired, even with a full complement of interceptors", the publication reported.

Projectiles launched from active protection systems like Trophy can also endanger nearby personnel, so they are often deactivated when moving with infantry, creating opportunities for enemy attacks.

In 6/2019, a source within Israel's defense industry admitted that Trophy could not counter certain modern anti-tank weapons, including those capable of firing two projectiles in quick succession or carrying decoy rounds to deceive the system's sensors.

"The full circumstances leading to Hezbollah's FPV drone attacks are not yet known. It cannot be ruled out that Trophy was already deactivated for various reasons or that there was no crew inside the tank at the time", Defense Express stated.

Nguyen Tien (According to AFP, AP, Defense Express)